Poppies in Evening (a process)

This is one I'm having a hard time letting go. This was was really a labor of frustration with a happy ending.

Poppies in Evening

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches by 10 inches

Available for purchase here

I struggled with this painting. Initially, the poppies looked flat. There were hills and a stream that seemed awkward. The sunset was too pink. OK, do you want to see the wreck of the before?

My eyes are covered now. I can't look anymore. I was tempted to toss it out, but I'd invested so much material on it. With the palette knife, I applied big, bold patches of color.

Yes, that still looks nothing like the final results, but it gave me enough room for a do-over. Look closely, and you can see the shadows of the trees in the background, and the hint of the sun sinking into the horizon. The bunny slope of a hill and the clunky stream are gone. Let's take a look at the end results again for comparison.

My friends, there are A LOT of layers of paint on this one. But by the time I added the black outlines, I was sold that this is how it should be. Have a close up...

It's 100% palette knife work. All of the highlights were carefully scratched on with the tip of the knife. I love the results, and I feel like I'm starting to find my voice on canvas. I really hope this one finds a good home.

Mini Pear (Using Leftovers)

Waste not, want not. So often I have paint leftover on the palette when I'm finished with a painting, and I don't like to see it go to waste.

I keep smaller canvases around for this reason. Sometimes I'll just spread the leftover paint across it, and come back to it later to finish it. But this little pear I whipped up quickly after I finished Yellow Tulips Before Spring Storm. Recognize the color scheme?

Mini Pear

Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 4 inches by 4 inches

Available for purchase here

Measuring 4 inches by 4 inches on a wrapped canvas, it's a cutie. The palette knife strokes are heavy so there is a lot of texture on this little fellow, even on the sides. Have a close up...

(detail)

Midmorning

There are certain subjects that draw in people when they want to start painting. Pears (check). Flowers (check). Sunsets (in progress). Maybe the occasional sunrise (not yet).

But, imagine a morning. The sun has come up. Seems like a promising day ahead, but then clouds start moving in.

Midmorning

Acrylic on canvas board, 11 inches x 14 inches

Available for purchase here SOLD

Maybe it will just turn into an overcast day. Maybe the clouds will move on and the sun will rule the day. Maybe the fronts will collide and all hell will break lose. It's springtime and anything can happen.

Have a close up...

(detail)

The Used Palette

I think I'm hard on palettes. I let paint dry on them. The modeling compound I use to give my knife work depth builds up over time. Every so often, I scrap off some of the gunk, but eventually it gets too hard to work with so I start over with a fresh palette.

I remember seeing a used artist's palette at an antique market. It was beautiful. The wood was worn and lovely, and there were dabs of paint neatly smeared about it. Someone was clearly neater, cleaner painter than I am.

Used Wooden Palette

Acrylic on Wood, approximately 12 inches by 15 inches

Available for purchase here SOLD

Speaking of neater and cleaner, I spruced up the old blog layout to more accurate reflect the new direction I'm heading with this blog. I really loved the old banner, but it was time for a change. Support my palette abuse with the actual palette used for my updated header. It would look great tucked in a bookcase!

Abstract Apple and Pear I

I have problems with not leaving well enough alone. Over the years, I've really had to find that voice inside me that says, "Stop! That's good enough. Don't mess with it anymore."

Sometimes I listen to that voice. And sometimes I ignore it.

Abstract Apple and Pear I

Acrylic on canvas board, 11 inches x 14 inches

Available for purchase here

Above is the finished work. Here is how I originally saw it:

I had called it finished weeks ago. Varnished it, photographed it, ready to share. But deep down something was bugging me and so it sat in my studio while I worked on other projects.

And then I had a rotten afternoon, one that ties my stomach in knots. It really wasn't anything that horrible, just worry. Things in the past. Things that could happen in the future. Things I really can't change. 

I was feeling hurt and a little angry. So I went into my happy place (the studio) and grabbed this painting, and threw myself a pity party at the expense of this poor piece of canvas.

I smeared black paint on the apple and the pear. Oh dear. I wiped some of it off (better than wiping tears, I suppose). I had a long talk with myself while I carefully scratched a black outline around the fruit with the edge of the palette knife. When I started to feel better, I grabbed some cheerful teal blue, flicking it here and there with my palette knife.

It wasn't the painting I originally envisioned, but in the end, I liked it better. Sometimes, life is like that.

Bonus: The cropped image is so fun, I might have to try this again someday, this time on purpose.

(close up)

Yellow Tulips before Spring Storm

We are enjoying unseasonably warm weather in my neck of the woods, but my goodness, the wind yesterday was fierce! Today is slightly calmer, and tomorrow is supposed to be our third day of temperatures in the 70s. Bring on spring!

In celebration of springtime in the Midwest, I have a new painting to share.

Yellow Tulips before Spring Storm

Acrylic on canvas board, 8 inches by 10 inches

Available for purchase here.

I probably should have modified the name of this one slightly. "Yellow Tulips BEFORE Spring Storm" because anyone familiar with the driving rain, whipping wind, and possible hail that comes with spring in the Heartland, these poor tulips won't be so pretty after the storm passes.

I really enjoyed capturing the fading blue skies as the dark grey moved in. Gather ye tulips while ye may. And here's a close up...

413 Days

413 days have passed since my last post. Talk about procrastination! I'm ready for a fresh start but still doing something I love. So I've started painting again, but not just painting the living room for the upteenth time or rushing outside on a calm day with a can of spray paint.

I'm talking about acrylic painting (mostly palette knife). And I've dusted off my Etsy shop. For now, it's just paintings. Maybe I'll return to pillows, totes, and funky jewelry again, but I'm really enjoying painting now. The results are pretty instant, and I even enjoy the process of getting stuck. I'm finding palette knife painting to be both forgiving and unforgiving as I hone the techniques.

So I'll leave you with the first of what will hopefully be many new projects. Enjoy!

Red Tulips I

Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas. 12 inches x 12 inches.

Edges are finished so no framing is required.

Available for purchase here.

Close up of Red Tulips I